Quivering Quasars!
Disclaimer: "Oh, this is f^&%^ weak." - Eric Cartman, South Park
Chapter 5: SURPRISE!
Project Pegasus
The Joes and Misfits continued watching the tests.
"I gotta admit, those bands are something." Alpine remarked to the Misfits. "I'd love to have a pair of those."
"I dunno, those things look kinda gaudy to me." Lance shrugged. "Bet you'd like to get those around your wrists, eh Lila?"
"I suppose." Lila shrugged. A grin formed on her face. "I have to admit, I'd look incredibly stylin' with those bands."
"You're not thinking of stealing those bands, are you, young lady?" Alpine shot the British interstellar teleporter a look.
"Who, me?" Lila gave the mountaineer an innocent look. "You must be thinking of somebody else."
"I hope so, lady."
"I'm a former intergalactic thief, thank you very much." Lila joked, turning her nose up. "I'm a good girl now."
"There are so many jokes about that I want to make right now." Pietro snickered.
"If you want to wake up the next morning with hair on your head, you'll keep them to yourself." Lila scowled in warning at the silver-haired speedster.
"This is fascinating to watch, Shipwreck." Xi remarked.
"Yeah." Shipwreck remarked as he saw Wesley form a construct of a pyramid. "Heh, look at that. He can make light shapes with them."
"Kinda like Pyro can with fire." Lance nodded in agreement.
"It's been three hours." Pietro sighed, looking at his watch. "Is this going to end any time soon? I'm bored."
"Don't worry, Pietro." Cover Girl reassured. "We'll be taking a break soon, hopefully."
"I hope so." Lance nodded. "I hope they'll let us use the vending machine in the break room. I got a hankering to get some Skittles."
"I like candy!" Pyro grinned.
"Only one candy bar for you, John." Lance warned. "We all know what happens when you have too many of them."
"Oh, it was a lot of fun corralling him last time." Cover Girl groaned.
"He gets hyper, huh?" Wendell chuckled.
"He would if he wasn't Pyro." Lance sighed. "Last time he had a sugar rush, he somehow got his paws on a chicken costume, and ran around Orlando proclaiming himself King Beakus the First."
"It was funny." Xi snickered. "He eventually lost the costume."
"We did not need to know Flamebrain here wore My Little Pony boxers." Pietro groaned, jerking his thumb at a dumbly-smiling Pyro. "We didn't even need to know they made those!"
"Who would've thought he liked Fluttershy?" Lila shrugged.
"Fluttershy is best pony!" John grinned.
"And this doesn't embarrass him." Wendell blinked.
"I don't think he realizes you're supposed to be embarrassed by that." Shipwreck rolled his eyes. He noticed Blue Shield walk up to the group, holding some coffee and donuts. "Hey, Shieldy! Where you been?"
"Getting refreshments." Blue Shield answered with a smile. "Sorry about providing the stereotypical security guard snacks, but I figured we could use 'em."
"Gimme chocolate!" Pyro whooped.
"You get a plain one, man." Lance gave Pyro a plain donut. "You aren't allowed to have lots of sugar. Remember King Beakus?"
"Who?"
"Oh, brother..." Lance groaned, rubbing his temple.
"Figures the goof wouldn't remember King Beakus!" Pietro threw his hands up in the air.
"How could he possibly forget his time as King Beakus?" Xi blinked in confusion. "It was quite a memorable period of time."
"You forget, Xi, that Pyro's brain doesn't quite work like everyone else's." Lila reminded her reptilian comrade.
"King Beakus?" Blue Shield blinked.
"We... don't like to talk about King Beakus." Shipwreck sighed.
"It's a...long story." Cover Girl added.
"Nice work, Mr. Wesley." Gilbert nodded in approval. "You may stop now."
"Good idea, Gil." Dr. Reznek looked at her watch. "We could use a break."
"Yeah." Dr. Zane agreed. "Great work, Wesley!"
"No problem!" Wesley grinned, landing on the ground.
"How are the bands feeling, Will?" Gilbert inquired.
"Alright." Wesley shrugged. "They aren't uncomfortable or anything."
"Well, that's good." Gilbert nodded. He then motioned to a table with a pair of clamps built into it. "Okay, let's get those bands off with the magno-clamps so we can test them later."
"Alright!" Wesley grinned, putting his arms on the table, the magno-clamps clicking and whirring as they latched on to the bands. "I want to go to the mess hall and try out some of that chili. Probably isn't as good as Texas chili." He tried to pull his arms out of the bands.
"It's pretty good." Zane shrugged. "I enjoy it."
"Hey, wha-?" Wesley frowned in confusion.
"What's wrong, William?" Dr. Reznek asked. Wesley grunted as he tried to pull his arms out of the bands.
"It's these bands!" Wesley grunted in frustration. "I can't get them off!"
"What?!" Dr. Vaughn gaped in shock.
"I can't get them off! I'm stuck!" Wesley grunted.
"Oh dear." Reznek gasped.
"Oh, no..." Zane mumbled. Aw, crud! He groaned mentally as he, Reznek and Vaughn tried to help pull Wesley's arms out of the bands. This is just great! How am I gonna get those damned bands now? So long, Hawaii...
"What's going on over there?" Alpine wondered out loud.
"Looks like some kind of disturbance." Blue Shield frowned. "I'll take a look."
"Looks like those bands were put on a bit too tight." Pietro remarked.
"No kidding." Lance winced. "They should be careful. They'll rip the poor guy's arms off if they keep tugging like that."
"Hold it, hold it!" Dr. Vaughn sighed. "We're gonna rip his arms off!"
"Any problems, Docs?" Blue Shield asked.
"Yeah, the bands are stuck on my arms." Wesley sighed.
"Well, I got another idea..." Reznek looked at the Misfits. "Any of you have super strength?" Zane's jaw dropped as he figured out his colleague's idea.
"Are you crazy?!" He yelped. "We can't break open the bands! Who knows what would happen?!"
"Wouldn't work anyway." Shipwreck shook his head. "None of the Misfits here have that power."
"My physical strength is only at the peak human level." Xi shook his head. "And I am the physically strongest of all the Misfits present."
"Ah, well. I was just pitching ideas." Reznek sighed.
"Thanks anyway." Wesley sighed. He then brightened up slightly. "Hey, maybe I can become a superhero with these. You know, like the Fantastic Four? Maybe I could join the Avengers one day!"
"Oh yeah, can you see that guy in a super-suit with an "A" logo on it? What'll he call himself? Hyperion?" Pietro snickered.
"Quasar is a good name." Wendell shrugged. "That's the name I'd use if I was a superhero."
"Quasar is a good name for a superhero with energy-manipulation powers." Lila rubbed her chin in thought. "Quasars are extremely bright sources of forms of various energies throughout the electromagnetic spectrum."
"And thank you for the science lesson." Pietro groaned, facepalming.
"Oi, I had to learn this stuff back in me old life!" Lila grunted.
"Lila, Ix-nay on the pace-say irate-pay stuff." Lance hissed. Blue Shield then frowned as he put his hand to a radio in his helmet-esque cowl. "Hey Blue, what's going on?"
"We got a problem!" A voice yelled out through the communicator in his helmet. "There's some strange creature in power generator area! It's eating away at the AHHHHHHHH!" Blue Shield's eyes widened.
"Oh, God..." He mumbled.
"What's wrong, Blue Man?" Shipwreck inquired in concern.
"There's something going on in the generator area." Blue Shield explained. "I'm gonna need some-!" The lights went out.
"Oh, that's not good." Alpine mumbled.
"Oh, this is going to suck..." Pietro winced.
"What in the hell?" Gilbert Vaughn scowled.
"Hang on!" Wesley made the bands on his wrists glow, providing some light. "Is everyone alright?"
"A-ok here!" Zane responded.
"We're fine!" Cover Girl answered.
"What was that?" Alpine blinked.
"Emergency lights!" Blue Shield ordered. The lights went back on. "Something funny is going on in the generator room. I want some men down there to check it out!"
"This isn't good." Wendell mumbled nervously, clutching his rifle tighter. "I've seen enough monster and horror movies to know that this is the point where-!"
KREEENCH! A monster burst through the floor.
"...the monster bursts in."
"Oh my God!" Lila gasped.
"Oh, geez!" Pietro winced.
Dr. Reznek let out a loud scream at the sight of the creature. It was standing at fourteen feet tall. It had an angular insectoid appearance, with skin that appeared to be made of red-and-gold metal. Its roar was a high-pitched screech akin to feedback from a microphone.
"The hell is that thing?!" Lance yelped.
"It's one ugly mother, that's for sure." Pietro quipped.
And this day is getting better and better... Zane thought.
Well, well, well! Looks like things are heating up! What insanity will happen next? What is the monster? Where did it come from? And what of AIM? Can our heroes save the day? Find out in the next chapter! Suggestions needed badly!